2008 Formula 3 Euro Series

The 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series season was the sixth championship year of Europe's premier Formula Three series. The season was dominated by 21-year-old German Nico Hülkenberg, who won seven of the season's ten feature races amassing 76 of his total of 85 championship points on Saturday afternoons. He won the championship by 35.5 points from early frontrunner Edoardo Mortara as the 2007's rookie cup winner's season somewhat tailed off after the Norisring, scoring just 9.5 points in the final twelve races compared to Hülkenberg's 60. Jules Bianchi's strong finish to the season, including a win in the final race at Hockenheim and coupled with Renger van der Zande's fifth place and Mika Mäki's ninth place, it allowed the 2008 Ultimate Masters winner to finish third in the championship, a point ahead of both van der Zande and Mäki.

Drivers and teams

2008 Entry List^[1]
Team	No	Driver	Rookie	Chassis^{[N 1]}	Engine	Rounds
ART Grand Prix	1	Nico Hülkenberg		F308/009	Mercedes	All
	2	James Jakes		F308/049		All
	24	Jules Bianchi	R	F308/026		All
	25	Jon Lancaster	R	F308/070		All
Mücke Motorsport	3	Christian Vietoris		F308/050	Mercedes	All
	4	Erik Janiš	R	F308/042		All
	26	Mika Mäki	R	F308/005		All
Manor Motorsport	5	Sam Bird		F308/036	Mercedes	All
	6	Niall Breen		F308/001		1–8
	28	Koudai Tsukakoshi		F308/059		All
	29	Kazuya Oshima		F308/046		All
Signature-Plus	7	Edoardo Mortara		F308/073	Volkswagen	All
	8	Franck Mailleux		F308/057		All
	30	Jean Karl Vernay		F308/033		All
	31	Stefano Coletti	R	F308/011		1–2
	35	Robert Wickens	R	F308/011		3–6, 8–10
Prema Powerteam	9	Renger van der Zande		F308/015	Mercedes	All
	10	Charlie Kimball		F308/047		1–3
	23	Dani Clos		F308/031		All
	31	Stefano Coletti	R	F308/047		4–10
Jo Zeller Racing	14	Michael Klein		F308/044	Mercedes	1–4
Jo Zeller Racing	19	Tom Dillmann		F308/044	Mercedes	6
HBR Motorsport	15	Daniel Campos-Hull	R	F308/052	Mercedes	All
HBR Motorsport	27	Basil Shaaban		F308/021	Mercedes	All
R.C. Motorsport powered by Volkswagen	17	Maximilian Götz		F308/077	Volkswagen	1–4
	18	Martin Plowman	R	F308/051		1–7
	32	Jens Klingmann	R	F308/032		All
	33	Cong Fu Cheng		F308/010		3–10
	41	Brendon Hartley		F308/077		6
	43	Peter Elkmann		F308/051		8
	44	Nelson Panciatici				9
	45	Frédéric Vervisch				10
SG Formula	19	Tom Dillmann		F308/014	Mercedes	1–3
	20	Henkie Waldschmidt	R	F308/029		All
	21	Richard Philippe	R	F308/014		8–10
	34	Yann Clairay		F308/072		All
	40	Daniel Ricciardo	R	F308/014		6
Carlin Motorsport	21	Richard Philippe	R	F308/055	Mercedes	1–7
	22	Rodolfo González		F308/074		1–9
	41	Brendon Hartley		F308/055		8–10
	46	Oliver Oakes		F308/074		10
Barazi-Epsilon	42	Stéphane Richelmi	R	F308/094	Mercedes	8–10

Icon	Legend
R	Rookie

Driver changes

Changed Teams

Yann Clairay: Signature-Plus → SG Formula
Dani Clos: Signature-Plus → Prema Powerteam
Tom Dillmann: ASM Formule 3 → SG Formula
James Jakes: Manor Motorsport → ART Grand Prix
Franck Mailleux: Manor Motorsport → Signature-Plus

Entering/Re-Entering Formula 3 Euro Series

Jules Bianchi: French Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (SG Formula) → ART Grand Prix
Sam Bird: British Formula 3 Championship (Carlin Motorsport) → Manor Motorsport
Niall Breen: British Formula 3 Championship (Carlin Motorsport) → Manor Motorsport
Daniel Campos-Hull: Formula BMW ADAC (Eifelland Racing) → HBR Motorsport
Cong Fu Cheng: British Formula 3 Championship National Class (Performance Racing Europe AB) → RC Motorsport
Stefano Coletti: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Epsilon Euskadi) → Signature-Plus
Peter Elkmann: Sabbatical → RC Motorsport
Rodolfo González: British Formula 3 Championship (T-Sport) → Carlin Motorsport
Erik Janiš: FIA GT3 European Championship (S-Berg Racing) → Mücke Motorsport
Brendon Hartley: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Epsilon Red Bull Team) → RC Motorsport
Charlie Kimball: Formula Renault 3.5 Series (Victory Engineering) → Prema Powerteam
Jens Klingmann: Formula BMW ADAC (Eifelland Racing) → RC Motorsport
Michael Klein: German Formula Three Championship Throphy Class (HS Technik Motorsport) → Jo Zeller Racing
Jon Lancaster: French Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (SG Formula) → ART Grand Prix
Mika Mäki: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Epsilon Red Bull Team) → Mücke Motorsport
Oliver Oakes: Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Motopark Academy) → Carlin Motorsport
Kazuya Oshima: All-Japan Formula Three Championship (Toyota Team Tom's) → Manor Motorsport
Nelson Panciatici: French Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (SG Formula) → RC Motorsport
Richard Philippe: Formula Renault 3.5 Series (Fortec Motorsport) → Carlin Motorsport
Martin Plowman: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Prema Powerteam) → RC Motorsport
Stéphane Richelmi: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Thierry Boutsen Racing) → Barazi-Epsilon
Daniel Ricciardo: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (RP Motorsport) → SG Formula
Koudai Tsukakoshi: All-Japan Formula Three Championship (Honda Team Real) → Manor Motorsport
Christian Vietoris: German Formula Three Championship (Josef Kaufmann Racing) → Mücke Motorsport
Frédéric Vervisch: German Formula Three Championship (JB Motorsport) → RC Motorsport
Henkie Waldschmidt: Italian Formula Renault Championship & Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 (Prema Powerteam) → SG Formula
Robert Wickens: Atlantic Championship (Red Bull/Team Forsythe) → Signature-Plus

Leaving Formula 3 Euro Series

Sergey Afanasyev: HBR Motorsport → International Formula Master (JD Motorsport)
Cyndie Allemann: Manor Motorsport → Firestone Indy Lights (American Spirit Racing)
Sébastien Buemi: ASL Mücke Motorsport → GP2 Series (Trust Team Arden)
Yelmer Buurman: Manor Motorsport → GP2 Series (Trust Team Arden)
Carlo van Dam: RC Motorsport → All-Japan Formula Three Championship (Petronas Team Tom's)
Michael Devaney: Ultimate Motorsport → British Formula 3 Championship (Ultimate Motorsport)
Romain Grosjean: ASM Formule 3 → GP2 Series (ART Grand Prix)
Esteban Guerrieri: Ultimate Motorsport → Formula Renault 3.5 Series (Ultimate Signature)
Euan Hankey: HS Technik Motorsport → Sabbatical
Michael Herck: Bas Leinders Junior Racing Team → GP2 Series (David Price Racing)
Marco Holzer: AM-Holzer Rennsport → Porsche Carrera Cup Germany (UPS Porsche Junior Team)
Kamui Kobayashi: ASM Formule 3 → GP2 Series (DAMS)
Michael Patrizi: Prema Powerteam → V8 Supercars (Ford Rising Stars Racing)
Edoardo Piscopo: ASL Mücke Motorsport → Italian Formula Three Championship (Team Ghinzani)
Filip Salaquarda: HBR Motorsport → International Formula Master (Team ISR)
Tim Sandtler: Jo Zeller Racing → International Formula Master (Team ISR)
Harald Schlegelmilch: HS Technik Motorsport → International Formula Master (Trident Racing)
Jonathan Summerton: RC Motorsport → Atlantic Championship (Newman Wachs Racing)

Calendar

Round		Circuit	Date	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver	Winning Team	Winning Rookie
1	R1	Hockenheimring	12 April	Nico Hülkenberg	Mika Mäki	Mika Mäki	Mücke Motorsport	Mika Mäki
1	R2	Hockenheimring	13 April		Dani Clos	Renger van der Zande	Prema Powerteam	Erik Janiš
2	R1	Mugello Circuit	3 May	Nico Hülkenberg	Christian Vietoris	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Jules Bianchi
2	R2	Mugello Circuit	4 May		Mika Mäki	Mika Mäki	Mücke Motorsport	Mika Mäki
3	R1	Pau Circuit	31 May	James Jakes	James Jakes	James Jakes	ART Grand Prix	Jon Lancaster
3	R2	Pau Circuit	1 June		Rodolfo González	Edoardo Mortara	Signature-Plus	Jon Lancaster
4	R1	Norisring, Nuremberg	28 June	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Jon Lancaster
4	R2	Norisring, Nuremberg	29 June		James Jakes	Christian Vietoris	Mücke Motorsport	Robert Wickens
5	R1	Circuit Park Zandvoort	12 July	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Mika Mäki
5	R2	Circuit Park Zandvoort	13 July		Nico Hülkenberg	Renger van der Zande	Prema Powerteam	Mika Mäki
6	R1	Nürburgring	26 July	Christian Vietoris	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Jules Bianchi
6	R2	Nürburgring	27 July		Nico Hülkenberg	Jon Lancaster	ART Grand Prix	Jon Lancaster
7	R1	Brands Hatch	30 August	Jules Bianchi	Jules Bianchi	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Jon Lancaster
7	R2	Brands Hatch	31 August		Christian Vietoris	Franck Mailleux	Signature-Plus	Henkie Waldschmidt
8	R1	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona	20 September	Nico Hülkenberg	Henkie Waldschmidt	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Erik Janiš
8	R2	Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona	21 September		Jon Lancaster	Kazuya Oshima	Manor Motorsport	Jules Bianchi
9	R1	Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans	4 October	Jules Bianchi	Nico Hülkenberg	Jules Bianchi	ART Grand Prix	Jules Bianchi
9	R2	Bugatti Circuit, Le Mans	5 October		Yann Clairay	Robert Wickens	Signature-Plus	Robert Wickens
10	R1	Hockenheimring	25 October	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	Nico Hülkenberg	ART Grand Prix	Mika Mäki
10	R2	Hockenheimring	26 October		Jules Bianchi	Jules Bianchi	ART Grand Prix	Jules Bianchi

Season standings

Drivers Standings

Points are awarded as follows:

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	PP
Race 1	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1	1
Race 2	6	5	4	3	2	1	0		0

Note: In the second races at the Norisring, the Bugatti Circuit and the October Hockenheim meeting, due to insufficient distance covered, half points were awarded.

Pos	Driver	HOC1		MUG		PAU		NOR		ZAN		NÜR		BRH		CAT		LMS		HOC2		Pts
1	Nico Hülkenberg	Ret	24†	1	5	Ret	16	1	Ret	1	13	1	4	1	5	1	Ret	24	8	1	3	85
2	Edoardo Mortara	3	3	4	3	2	1	4	3	Ret	21	Ret	23	4	4	9	Ret	9	14	12	6	49.5
3	Jules Bianchi	Ret	13	3	4	Ret	26†	Ret	9	3	9	2	3	22†	18	Ret	3	1	17	7	1	47
4	Renger van der Zande	8	1	5	20	8	2	10	5	7	1	5	Ret	6	3	24	10	18	25	2	5	46
5	Mika Mäki	1	23†	6	1	Ret	15	Ret	18	2	5	4	Ret	20	16	23†	13	3	20	3	9	46
6	Christian Vietoris	7	2	28†	19	5	4	6	1	13	11	Ret	Ret	5	Ret	3	2	28†	10	EX	Ret	36
7	Koudai Tsukakoshi	13	9	2	7	11†	18	2	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	11	2	8	Ret	24†	4	4	6	2	36
8	Jean Karl Vernay	5	22†	25	Ret	Ret	14	3	4	6	4	13	7	8	2	17	11	5	3	5	4	35
9	Yann Clairay	11	5	7	2	Ret	13	Ret	19	5	2	14	6	3	6	4	5	22	16	13	10	33
10	Franck Mailleux	4	4	11	10	4	5	18	15	11	3	18	9	7	1	12	Ret	23	21	17	13	27
11	Sam Bird	10	6	14	8	Ret	11	14	8	4	6	22	19	Ret	19	2	18	2	11	16	Ret	23
12	Jon Lancaster	Ret	DNS	23	25	3	7	5	Ret	Ret	24†	7	1	9	10	10	22	12	Ret	Ret	20	19
13	James Jakes	12	11	12	15	1	6	25	13	10	7	24†	22	21†	17	5	4	13	5	11	Ret	19
14	Dani Clos	Ret	7	8	9	6	3	21	Ret	15	15	Ret	Ret	16	14	6	16	6	2	9	11	16.5
15	Robert Wickens					9	8	7	2	8	Ret	12	16			Ret	14	7	1	23	8	10.5
16	Niall Breen	19	19	9	6	13†	Ret	24†	17	9	Ret	8	2	DSQ	20	16	15					8
17	Charlie Kimball	2	Ret	17	Ret	Ret	23															8
18	Tom Dillmann	NC	15	16	27†	Ret	25†					3	5									8
19	Kazuya Oshima	Ret	20	26†	18	10	10	13	7	14	8	11	20	Ret	21	8	1	21	12	Ret	19	7
20	Stefano Coletti	18	21	21	11			11	6	19	22†	9	Ret	19	25†	15	Ret	19	9	4	Ret	6.5
21	Erik Janiš	9	10	10	16	Ret	12	8	22	12	10	Ret	12	12	12	7	7	14	13	8	7	5
22	Maximilian Götz	6	8	22	22	Ret	Ret	Ret	20													3
23	Michael Klein	21	16	19	12	7	9	19	12													2
24	Rodolfo González	15	12	18	13	Ret	21	12	Ret	24	20	21	25	17	15	20	19	17	6			0.5
25	Daniel Campos-Hull	14	14	27†	21	Ret	19	17	11	23	14	20	8	13	13	Ret	17	10	7	14	Ret	0
26	Henkie Waldschmidt	Ret	Ret	13	26†	Ret	17	9	Ret	17	23†	15	17	10	7	Ret	12	20	DNS	10	Ret	0
27	Jens Klingmann	Ret	Ret	24	24	Ret	20	15	10	21	18	16	10	11	11	11	8	27	15	22	16	0
28	Richard Philippe	16	17	15	17	12†	Ret	22	16	16	12	10	18	14	24	19	9	11	Ret	18	18	0
29	Cong Fu Cheng					Ret	22	16	14	18	16	23	13	15	9	21	20	16	24	15	12	0
30	Basil Shaaban	20	18	20	14	Ret	24	20	21†	22	19	19	24†	Ret	23	22	23	26	19	20	17	0
31	Martin Plowman	17	Ret	Ret	23	Ret	27†	23†	Ret	20	17	17	21	18	22							0
guest drivers ineligible for championship points
	Daniel Ricciardo											6	15									0
	Brendon Hartley											Ret	14			14	6	8	22	Ret	14	0
	Peter Elkmann															13	21					0
	Nelson Panciatici																	15	18			0
	Oliver Oakes																			Ret	15	0
	Stéphane Richelmi															18	Ret	25	23	21	21†	0
	Frédéric Vervisch																			19	Ret	0
Pos	Driver	HOC1		MUG		PAU		NOR		ZAN		NÜR		BRH		CAT		LMS		HOC2		Pts

Colour	Result
Gold	Winner
Silver	Second place
Bronze	Third place
Green	Points finish
Blue	Non-points finish
Blue	Non-classified finish (NC)
Purple	Retired (Ret)
Red	Did not qualify (DNQ)
Red	Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
Black	Disqualified (DSQ)
White	Did not start (DNS)
	Withdrew (WD)
	Race cancelled (C)
Blank	Did not practice (DNP)
	Did not arrive (DNA)
	Excluded (EX)

† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.

Pole-winners in bold; race 1 pole-winners earn one point (not awarded at Pau or Brands).
Drivers achieving fastest lap in italics. No points awarded.

Rookie Cup

Rookie drivers are only eligible for the Rookie Cup title if they have not previously competed in a national or international Formula 3 championship.

Pos	Driver	HOC1		MUG		PAU		NOR		ZAN		NÜR		BRH		CAT		LMS		HOC2		Pts
1	Erik Janiš	9	10	10	16	Ret	12	8	22	12	10	Ret	12	12	12	7	7	14	13	8	7	78
2	Mika Mäki	1	Ret	6	1	Ret	15	Ret	18	2	5	4	Ret	20	16	23	13	3	20	3	9	76.5
3	Jules Bianchi	Ret	13	3	4	Ret	26	Ret	9	3	9	2	3	22	18	Ret	3	1	17	7	1	75.5
4	Jon Lancaster	Ret	DNS	23	25	3	7	5	Ret	Ret	Ret	7	1	9	10	10	22	12	Ret	Ret	20	66
5	Richard Philippe	16	17	15	17	Ret	Ret	22	16	16	12	10	18	14	24	19	9	11	Ret	18	18	49
6	Robert Wickens					9	8	7	2	8	Ret	12	16			Ret	14	7	1	23	8	45
7	Stefano Coletti	18	21	21	11			11	6	19	Ret	9	Ret	19	25	15	Ret	19	9	4	Ret	42.5
8	Daniel Campos-Hull	14	14	Ret	21	Ret	19	17	11	23	14	20	8	13	13	Ret	17	10	7	14	Ret	37.5
9	Henkie Waldschmidt	Ret	Ret	13	26	Ret	17	9	Ret	17	Ret	15	17	10	7	Ret	12	20	DNS	10	Ret	37
10	Jens Klingmann	Ret	Ret	24	24	Ret	20	15	10	21	18	16	10	11	11	11	8	27	15	22	16	32.5
11	Martin Plowman	17	Ret	Ret	23	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	20	17	17	21	18	22							8
Pos	Driver	HOC1		MUG		PAU		NOR		ZAN		NÜR		BRH		CAT		LMS		HOC2		Pts

Team's standings

	Nation	Points
1	ART Grand Prix	159
2	Signature-Plus	110.5
3	Mücke Motorsport	88
4	Prema Powerteam	80
5	Manor Motorsport	78.5
6	SG Formula	37
7	Jo Zeller Racing	11
8	R.C. Motorsport powered by Volkswagen	4
9	Carlin Motorsport	1.5
10	HBR Motorsport	0

Nations Cup

	Nation	Points
1	France	140
2	Germany	119
3	Great Britain	64
4	Italy	49.5
5	Netherlands	48
6	Finland	47
7	Japan	43
8	Spain	17.5
9	Canada	11.5
10	Ireland	9
11	United States	8
12	Monaco	6.5
13	Czech Republic	5
14	Venezuela	0.5

Notes

^ All drivers competed in Dallara chassis; model listed.

References

^ "2008 Entry List" (PDF). formel3guide.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2009-10-14.

[2] All drivers competed in Dallara chassis; model listed.

[1] "2008 Entry List" (PDF). formel3guide.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2009-10-14.

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[N 1]

v t e European Formula Three seasons
European Formula 3 (1975–1984)	1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 (List of drivers) Replaced by FIA European Formula 3 Cup
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Formula Regional European (2019–present)	2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (List of drivers)
Related F3 racing series	GP3 Series (2010–2018) predecessor to FIA F3 FIA Formula 3 Championship (since 2019) successor to FIA GP3